A major landslide occurred on National Highway 44 in Banihal town of Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Wednesday. The portion of the highway in Rampadi area has been closed for vehicular traffic due to the landslide. Meanwhile, authorities have deployed men and machinery to clear the road.
The deputy commissioner of Ramban district has advised people to follow advisories issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police.
In a video tweeted by ANI, which was originally shared shot by the deputy commissioner of Ramban, boulders can be seen on the highway, blocking it. Rocks were seen lying down while a JCB crane was seen in the background trying to clear the road.
The tweet read, "J&K | A major slide has occurred near Rampadi, Banihal, on National Highway-44. People are advised to follow J&K Traffic Police advisory: Deputy Commissioner, Ramban."
The landslide near Rampadi occurred hours after the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway reopened for traffic after two days. The highway remained closed for vehicular traffic for two days in a row due to shooting stones and mudslides triggered by rains at several places between Chanderkot and Banihal.
The highway was blocked on Monday due to heavy rains and landslides at Panthyal in the Ramban district. The national highway is the main route that connects Kashmir to the rest of India.
After the temperature plummeted to a minimum of minus 2 degrees celsius on Sunday night, Srinagar experienced fresh snowfall on Monday morning. Some people claim that because Srinagar and the surrounding regions were coated with a thick blanket of snow, local transportation and everyday life in the region were negatively impacted. On Monday, the locals stated that the severe snowfall in Srinagar had also affected air traffic.
(With inputs from ANI)